A newly released report by the United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo has placed retired Rwandan General James Kabarebe at the center of allegations surrounding the AFC/M23 military operation that resulted in the capture of Uvira in South Kivu Province.
The report provides fresh details about how the offensive was allegedly organized and executed during a period of escalating conflict in eastern DR Congo.
According to the UN experts, the military campaign that led to the fall of Uvira was directly commanded on the battlefield by AFC/M23 military leaders Gen. Sultani Makenga and Gen. Bernard Byamungu. However, the report claims that Gen. (Rtd) James Kabarebe played “a key coordinating role” in the broader operation.
Investigators state that information collected from multiple sources, including individuals they identified as being connected to AFC/M23 and the Rwanda Defence Force, suggested that plans to capture Uvira had been prepared well in advance.
The report describes the operation as part of a wider AFC/M23 strategy aimed at expanding its territorial control in South Kivu and consolidating gains made elsewhere in eastern DR Congo.
Uvira, considered one of the most strategically important cities in South Kivu because of its commercial and logistical significance, fell to AFC/M23 on December 10, 2025, following intense fighting that had intensified in late November.
UN experts argue that the capture of the city was not an isolated military action but rather a component of a broader campaign designed to strengthen AFC/M23’s influence across eastern Congo.
The allegations come amid long-standing international accusations that Rwanda has supported AFC/M23, claims that Kigali has consistently denied.
The United States previously imposed sanctions on Gen. Kabarebe, accusing him of playing a significant role in coordinating support that Washington says contributed to AFC/M23’s territorial expansion in eastern DR Congo.
American authorities described Kabarebe as “a central figure” in efforts linked to the support that Rwanda is accused of providing to AFC/M23.
Rwanda’s government, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, strongly rejected those sanctions and dismissed the accusations as unfounded.
In a statement issued after the sanctions were announced, Rwanda said: “OFAC sanctions are unjustified and meaningless. If sanctions could resolve conflicts in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, lasting peace would have been achieved in the region decades ago.”
Kigali has repeatedly argued that the security crisis in eastern Congo cannot be solved through sanctions or external accusations, insisting that durable peace requires addressing the deeper political and historical causes of the conflict.
Rwandan authorities also noted that similar sanctions have been imposed in the past and urged citizens not to be alarmed by such measures.
